THE NAMBUCCA Strikers North Coast Football men’s 3rd Division team have been up against it in the first few games of the season with heavy losses to teams that should have perhaps been playing up a grade or two, but the game against Boambee Bombers on Saturday was set to be a more evenly contested match-up.
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Nambucca started the better with numerous breaks that found the woodwork which took Boambee by surprise, and saw them squander chances of their own.
Ben Honeybrook and his defensive unit held out the Bombers raids, and Buster Faulkner’s persistence and pressure up front saw him fouled in the penalty area, and he subsequently slammed home the penalty to give himself his first goal (possibly ever) in the men’s competition.
This gave Nambucca a goal against the run of play which rattled the Boambee faithful and Nambucca took back the assent, their tails were up.
Logan Greenup Stokes from the 2nds dropped in to give the Strikers an extra sub, and when he came on he combined well with Tom Barbour and Isaac Jones through the midfield, and down the left, which lifted the team and gave them confidence which ran through to every player.
On more than several raids, they worked the ball forward to see the Strikers hit the woodwork even more times, until Logan tucked away a neat header from the skills and extra pressure exerted by Nick Hickey and the battling Buster up front.
John Capon, Tim Jordan and captain Blake McNeil had excellent games in the backs and frustrated the Boambee attacks and cleared the defence.
Boambee’s late pressure paid off eventually for them, squeaking back a goal to have Nambucca leading 2-1 when the whistle blew for the end of the first half.
The second half was more one-sided as the extra Boambee subs started to make a difference.
The first half efforts of the Nambucca players began to take its toll on tired legs as Boambee sent wave upon wave of attacks which the Strikers defence held out, or Boambee totally wasted, and the Bombers began to panic.
Ben Honeybrook, in between the sticks had a man of the match effort; he was in form, saving a penalty, putting himself in harm’s way, hanging onto everything sent his way and diffusing and frustrating the Boambee attackers.
Nambucca set up camp in front of goals as the half wore on, but the resolve of the Strikers held on as they fought hard to hold on, and it looked like they would get a win going into the last five minutes of the game. Alas, it was not to be and it took a great shot to beat Ben in goals and even up the score 2-2 in the last minutes and it stayed that way to the end.
A fantastic effort considering Nambucca were missing three key players – and no one gave in, although tiring.
Tomorrpw, it’s the local derby at Macksville, at 1pm.